


Irrational Treasure - Part Two

by strangeispowerful



Series: ~*Superpowers AU Oneshots*~ [7]
Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Character Study, Friendship, Gen, Library, Light Angst, M/M, Not so oblivious Evan Hansen, One Shot Collection, Pining Jared Kleinman, Rated teen for language, Unrequited Crush, Zoe and the Gang continue their treasure hunt, a bit of a, i guess?, powers au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:41:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24458362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangeispowerful/pseuds/strangeispowerful
Summary: The Gang continues their search regarding the map that Zoe and Alana found in the service tunnels.
Relationships: Alana Beck & Zoe Murphy, Connor Murphy & Zoe Murphy, Evan Hansen & Jared Kleinman, Evan Hansen/Jared Kleinman
Series: ~*Superpowers AU Oneshots*~ [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1750975
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	Irrational Treasure - Part Two

**Author's Note:**

> You should probably read part one first for this to make sense! ~

Jared is standing in front of one of the giant, wall-to-wall bookshelves in the adult section of the library. He isn’t looking for books, and he’s not looking for clues about the map that Zoe found, either. He’s just pretending to read the spines, thinking.

His brother is coming home from college in a few days; his second term ended at the beginning of May, but he’d stayed away from home for as long as possible. He’d crashed his car into the side of an underpass a week ago; broken his collarbone and his arm. He’d needed surgery, and none of the family had been there at the hospital because he’s a couple of states away. 

He hadn’t had any choice  _ but  _ to come home, then. Not with their mom arranging to stay home from the city for a couple of days to see him. Not with their dad already planning to give away their car to him. He still can’t believe that.

They’d been in the car together, two days after his brother had crashed. His dad was still kind of shaken up about it. Jared didn’t know  _ what  _ to think. Tansy Creek was small, but his brother’s mind is smaller; his opinions are set. He doesn’t even enjoy debate. He just assumes that everyone else is wrong. If the constant nagging and insulting and nit-picking isn’t enough to get on Jared’s nerves, then the condescending shit is. Jared’s mom never stood for that. But she never really was around, and his dad was in the tiny office working all day, and so his brother hadn’t had any real grounds to stop.

Jared and his dad were on their way back from the Walmart near the edge of town (in Tansy Creek, it’s either that, or Whole Foods. There is no in between), and they’d passed this little car wash. 

His dad hadn’t really given any prelude. He’d muttered, “I should,” and then turned on the blinker and steered the car into the line.

“What are you doing?” Jared asked. “The hose not enough?”

He’d cleared his throat. He only ever did that when he was uncomfortable, Jared knew that. He always was a little too analytical with people’s facial expressions and stuff—it’s not like he did it on purpose, but when you can’t tell if your own brother even likes you or not, you search for validation anywhere you can find it. His father rubbed the back of his neck and rested his hands on the wheel, his wrists on the edge and his palms dangling. “I thought I should clean it up.”

“Clean it up?” He’d be lying if he said he didn’t know what was happening in that moment. Jared’s not an idiot. He’s always been able to put two and two together, especially around his family. “You don’t mean...?”

“Your brother’s car is totaled, and he’s in college, Jared.”

“Dad—,”

“He needs it more than us.”

“You can’t give our only car to Sam!” He’d cried out in protest, but his dad had kept his face firmly staring out of the windshield. “ _ Dad _ . How do you expect us to go places? Or get groceries, or—,”

“He needs to be able to get around. Tansy Creek is small. We’ll get bikes from the thrift store—,”

“ _ Bikes from the thrift store,”  _ he’d repeated in disbelief. “Are you fucking kidding me? Have him buy his own stupid car—,”

“Language.”

That’d shut him up, even if he felt like arguing. It was clear that this was the end of the conversation, and Jared had no say in that. The dark tunnel of the car wash hadn’t even been loud enough to muffle his thoughts, the relentless anger that kept welling up for no real reason.

Or maybe there was a reason. Because Sam gets everything. It’s not like it’s Jared’s parents’ fault. Sam was born two years before him, and he’d gotten his fair share of attention in the time before their mom had Jared. But Sam is  _ smart.  _ Sam is going places. And Jared can’t even seem to keep his English grade above a C.

Evan had offered to help with that. He always seems to tell when Jared’s in one of those I-am-the-expendable-one moods, and always is there to try and get him out of it. Jared doesn’t know how he knows, especially when Evan’s not necessarily the best communicator, but he doesn’t care. It’s nice to have someone who can tell that you’re drowning in your own defense mechanisms. Someone who makes sure that you’re drinking enough water and not spending several hours when he should be sleeping idly scrolling through social media, looking at all of the people who don’t live in Tansy Creek, who don’t have genius brothers, and who don’t center themselves around unrealistic fantasies.

Honestly, he’d be lost without his friends. He’d probably die a hermit, offed from sleeping for thirty consecutive days.

Jared runs a finger along one of the spines of what looks like a historical novel, probably full of political discourse and not-so-thrilling love affairs, but he’s looking through the space in the bookshelf.

Evan’s in the other aisle, and he’s leafing through a book, his back turned. The adult section of the library is pretty empty of people, most of the activity being in the children’s section, and it’s so quiet, that Jared can hear his fingers running along the pages, doing that thing that people always seem to do in bookstores when they really love the book; resting a palm on the page, as if they can feel the words underneath.

Jared really shouldn’t be staring. He knows that that’s weird, not to mention pathetic, even for him. So he steps back and takes a breath, coming around the other side of the bookshelf to stand next to him. Normal. “Find anything?” 

“No. You?”

“Nope.” He pops the  _ p  _ on the word and crosses his arms. “Do you think there’s even anything here?”

Evan makes an unconvinced noise and closes the book—It’s  _ To Kill a Mockingbird.  _ They all had to read it sophomore year. Jared had barely gotten through it—his shoulders moving in a not-quite shrug. He’s got the notebook that he was writing in at Adelaide’s tucked under his arm, and he shifts it before it falls from his grip. “Probably not. But what else is there to do?”

“Nothing.”

“Exactly.”

There’s a moment where no one says anything, and Jared’s about to jump in with some random joke to kill the silence right as Evan says, “Are you okay?”

Time seems to hiccup for a moment. He can barely force the word out. “What?”

Evan’s face is getting red, as if he can tell that his statement was definitely not placed correctly. “I just mean—I don’t think that, like something  _ is  _ wrong, I’m not trying to—,” he shakes his head, cutting himself off. “You just… I don’t know? Never mind.”

“No, what is it?”

“Really, it’s nothing. Forget about it, I’m sorry that I—,”

“Goddamnit, Evan. Just say it.”

He lets out a breath. “Sorry. I just mean that… you just seem kind of… down? I don’t know. I wasn’t going to say anything, but I…” He fits the book back onto the shelf and wraps his arms around himself. “I don’t know.”

Jared watches Evan for a second before looking back at the bookshelf, and tries desperately to ignore the feeling in his chest. 

So many things make it out like it’s a good feeling. Songs and books and movies and  _ everything,  _ all fucking saying that the  _ thing  _ that he’s dealing with is beautiful and amazing. It makes him so mad. Because it’s not. It’s wrong and stupid and  _ pathetic.  _

Because even if Evan, in some alternate universe, could ever feel the same thing about Jared that he feels about him, it’d never last. It’d be eclipsed so quickly. Because, deep down… it’s quiet. It’s small. But he knows that he doesn’t deserve that. And Evan deserves better than him. Someone like Zoe. That would be amazing. He honestly doesn't know how it hasn’t happened yet.

“I’m fine,” he says, default, and then he remembers who he’s talking to. Evan, who he’s known for practically his whole life. He feels guilty writing him off that easily. Knowing that he cares enough to ask  _ are you okay  _ and giving the easiest answer. “Actually,” he adds. “My, um... Sam is coming home. In a few days.”

“Oh,” says Evan. “Is everything okay?”

“He crashed his car last week.” 

Evan’s eyes go wide. “I’m so sorry.”

“No, no. Stop that. He’s fine.” Jared puts a hand to his forehead and looks away when Evan presses his lips together. “Sorry. I just… didn’t expect him to be coming home this summer. Not until Thanksgiving. And… dad’s giving him the car.”

“Are you serious?”

“He says we can bike. And walk, because Tansy Creek is small.”

“That’s bullshit,” Evan mutters, and Jared looks up and lifts a brow. “Just… we can carpool if you want. To school and stuff. I need to practice driving anyway.”

Jared shakes his head. “You don’t have to. Biking is probably better anyway. Healthy, or whatever…”

“What about in winter? You can’t bike through twenty inches of snow.”

“It’ll be fine.”

“No. Shut up.” He makes a face and runs a hand through his hair. “I’ll drive you.”

Jared gives a half-laugh. “Alright. Whatever.”

There’s a sudden sound of pounding footsteps, and then Zoe rushes past the aisle. She backpedals and steps in between the stacks with them, Alana in suit, a whirlwind of energy. “Look! Look what we found!” She’s waving a paper and Alana’s grinning; it’s obvious she’s changed her mind about the whole treasure hunting thing.

“Stop moving it around for a second and I will.” Jared takes the paper from Zoe and squints at it. It’s the same crinkly paper, though less so, not water damaged. “What is it?”

“It’s the other half!” Alana beams, handing the other paper to Zoe, who takes the new section back and lays them on top of each other, holding them up to the fluorescents so that the light falls through and forms a complete picture.

“Woah,” Evan breathes, and Jared steps closer to her to see.

“So you weren’t completely wrong about the light thing, were you.”

She shakes her head. “There’s a star on the new paper,” she points out. “And it’s in the park where we found the first piece. Whoever made this wanted us to find both pieces!”

Evan moves the notebook to his other hand, leaning to see as well. “Where did you find it here?”

“We asked the lady at the front desk.” Alana takes the papers from Zoe, who is so excited that her hair is frizzing up to twice its size. She reaches a hand to the metal shelf and they all can hear the little shock that happens as the static transfers. “Apparently, some kid made the map a year or so ago. It was for a birthday party or something, but nobody ever came for this side of the map.”

“The X is in the woods near the neighborhoods. Who knows what’s there?”

“A birthday card?” Speculates Evan and Jared laughs. 

“We can all agree that it’s probably not money,” Alana says, shifting her camera bag. “But I’m interested now.”

“Lets go! Lets go!” Zoe is bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Where’s Connor?”

There’s a groan from a couple of stacks away, and they all turn. Zoe, as if she’s hot on his scent, wheels around the edge of the stack and finds him sitting in one of the huge chairs at the back of the room. She’s like his very own personal drug dog.

“What are you doing?” She asks brightly, pulling at his sleeve. “Come on.”

“ _ Fuck,”  _ he mutters. “Please, no.”

“We’re your ride, dude. Come on.” She resorts to the front of his shirt, and he looks just about ready to clock her.

“So what, you didn’t find anything?”

“No, look!” She motions to Alana for the papers and holds them up against the huge stained glass window in the back; against the rainbow light, the map seems to glow. “We need tape,” she mutters, but then glances to Connor. “See?”

“Huh,” he says. “I… actually wasn’t expecting that.”

“Come on, now.  _ Comeoncomeoncomeon—,” _

“What did you have at Adelaide’s? Sugary soda?”

She glares. “My energy is naturally derived, asshole. Unlike yours. You can’t live off of coffee.”

He squints dubiously but stands up and stretches. “...where are we going now?”

They start heading toward the library’s front doors, Zoe stopping to tear several pieces of tape from a dispenser on the front desk. “The woods behind our house,” she grins. 

He rubs his eyes. “Onward, then.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading! If you liked, please leave a kudos, or if you'd like to tell me what you thought, leave a comment! Check out the other stories in this series if you like the idea of this AU, too! ~


End file.
